Your SAR team member selection? My story

OneTime

Adventurer
The purpose of this thread is two fold. One, I am curious on how your team selects it's members. Second, Hopefully I can chronic my year long training as a recruit in the same fashion jh504 and I did last year during our paramedic training. That is, if I make the selection process and am chosen as a recruit.

I have wanted to do SAR work since I was 16. I grewup in LA and and was hooked after watching the old 240 Robert series of two LA County SAR Deputies in Malibu.

I became a LA County Deputy in 94 and soon learned the becoming a paid full time Deputy makes it nearly impossible to do SAR work. Fast forward 15 years and I am now a Police Offier in AZ and can now volunteer for the sheriff department.

My team selection: The team I am attempting to become a member to is a Moutain Rescue Assocaition certified. It is an elite team that preforms all types of rescues, not just field ground searches. They typically do a recruit class once a year but not every year. If selected the training takes one year to complete. It covers wilderness emergency medicine, techinical rope rescue, alpine rescue, cave rescue, swift water rescue, etc...

The competion to be choosen for the recuit class is steep. The team held an recruitment orientation with over a hundred people attending. 100 applcations were handed out. 50 were turned in a week later. The application was a thorough questionaire of your outdoor experience and qualifiactions. Two weeks later was the physical agility test. You were giving and hour and half to climb a local trail that was 1.25 miles and gained 1200 feet in elevation, after the climb you had to carry a 7 gallon water jug 400 feet to simulate a liter carry, carry two rope bags 200 feet, tie 3 knots and identify and give the UTM corrdinates of three features on a topo map. All this will carrying a 35 lbs pack with 100 oz of water. A fast time was under an hour. I managed an hour a ten mintues. Apparantly moutian biking is not the proper training to prepare for the test. 44 showed up for the agility and 28 passed.

Next week is the oral interview process. It is just that, an interiew with a panel to find out more about your experience, qualifications and who you are.

In two weeks we have a 'Field Interview". I thinks it basically and Right of Passage' death march. I believe the purpose is to weed out anyone without heart, and to see who really has the desire to put forth the effort needed.

Right now there are 28 canidates. 16 make the recruit class. They are some heavy players. From what I can tell there are some iron man types, a few young buck climbers and many other 'been there done that types'.

My outdoor experience is general. Backpacking, some real basic climbing and repelling. A few white water trips etc... I do have a real strong public safety expereince. Lifeguard, EMT, Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer and now Paramedic. At almost 40, I wasnt the fastest up the moutiain but I wasnt the slowest either. If slelected it would be a dream come true.

What does your team do to select it's members?
 

RVR2RSQ

Observer
Onetime, That looks like some serious work. I am glad there are people like you willing to put in the effort to meet the criteria. Unfortunately I do not have much to offer. I run a K9 on a team in Ohio, we do not have nearly that level of training on the rescue side, we focus mainly on the search.

I would just make sure you stress your passion and commitment to the line of work.

Brian
 

Hltoppr

El Gringo Spectacular!
MRA selection, (especially in your county...and yes, I know of whom you speak), is a different animal entirely. Let's just say it's not the run of the mill SAR team, and the level of both commitment and fitness is above what a "normal" SAR volunteer will be expected to have.

Our general SAR team is open to all volunteers who apply, pass a background check, go through an interview process (just to make sure they know what we're about for their sake) and complete the State mandated Basic SAR Academy. After that, we have basic courses in Map & Compass, GPS, Personal Safety, ATV usage and tracking that are needed before a member is field certified.

Additional certifications are necessary for our technical/alpine rescue teams.

-H-
 

OneTime

Adventurer
MRA selection, (especially in your county...and yes, I know of whom you speak), is a different animal entirely. Let's just say it's not the run of the mill SAR team, and the level of both commitment and fitness is above what a "normal" SAR volunteer will be expected to have.

Our general SAR team is open to all volunteers who apply, pass a background check, go through an interview process (just to make sure they know what we're about for their sake) and complete the State mandated Basic SAR Academy. After that, we have basic courses in Map & Compass, GPS, Personal Safety, ATV usage and tracking that are needed before a member is field certified.

Additional certifications are necessary for our technical/alpine rescue teams.

-H-

Okay thanks for the reassurance. I knew it was hard core but I had no idea just how hard core this team is. I really never imagined having any trouble participating on a SAR team. I can honeslty say I have no idea wether Ill be selected.

I had my oral interview Monday. I think they were very concerned wether I had the abilty to make the time commentment needed. Will see.
 

khaywood

New member
OneTime,
Most of what you described for your screening process experience was material that our recruits learn in our four month academy. That is, they are not expected to have much experience, but having wilderness/mountaineering experience is a bonus. The actual screening involves interviews by members on the SAR team and an application, background check and CVSA by the department.

We don't do any physical testing of candidates prior to the academy. We do have a "qualification hike" near the end of the academy. The academy is not particularly physically demanding. Then again, our team has members who are have not attended the academy and are not "field qualified". They are permitted to perform administrative roles (paperwork, communications, etc.) at the CP.

Our team is subdivided into specialized units such as technical rescue, tactical search, motorized, medical, mounted, communications and the like. Except for the communications unit all members have to have completed the academy. The specialized training is done by the unit which you sign up for.
 

baca327

Adventurer
All I can say is obviously your still in the running. The thing about those long distance hikes is most people just give up and I can speak from personal experience at 150lbs carrying 80lbs of gear I have done many death hikes to the tune of 20 to 28 miles that usually take 10 hours or more. Those hikes are mostly mental not so much physical. You sound like you have a good chance keep it up. I have seen many people crack under the pressure. Don't let the other contenders discourage your goal.
 

CSG

Explorer
In Idaho, SAR units are run by the county sheriff's departments and most members are citizen volunteers. Our unit is run by a Sheriff's Lt. and a civilian commander.

I applied as a citizen volunteer a few months ago. The process was a somewhat detailed application and criminal background check. No pre-interview. The applications are discussed at a meeting of existing members. I don't know where in the process the background check takes place.

I received a call a couple months later from the Lt. saying I was approved and the next meeting was in a week. I attended and really had no idea what was going on. I learned the "interview" is really a six month probation period where you are expected to attend meetings and training. You are assigned a mentor to train you as well.

Have not yet been on a call out since being accepted a couple weeks ago but I have a unique SIRCOMM ID like all local law enforcement has and am considered a "volunteer deputy" when on a call out. Nothing, apparently, really happens until you are through probation (like getting ID, an assigned radio, any gear, etc.). Probation is a chance to show who you are and whether you will fit into the team.
 

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